| SA N TA FAVORITES |
what’s old is new Santa Fe’s antiques market is bursting with rare treasures by Zé li e Pollon photo graph s by Ga briella Ma r ks
A roughly 150-year-old open-top cupboard from Ohio and 19th-century Delft tiles at House of Ancestors.
A metal étagère and red Brazilian antique cabinet at Recollections.
The Santa Fe Trail was one of the country’s great trading routes for much of the 19th century, linking New Mexico’s capital city with Franklin, Missouri. After Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the trail created a powerful trade with Mexico that continues to this day. With Santa Fe remaining a crossroads city, it’s no surprise that it’s home to a rich antiques scene. Stephen’s: A Consignment Gallery (stephensconsignments.com, 505-471-0802) sells high-end furniture, jewelry, and other pieces that range from antiquities—Egyptian, preColumbian, and Mesopotamian—to midcentury modern. Assembled by partners Stephen Etre and Glen Smith over the last 30 years, the collection also includes luxury items like Georg Jensen and Tiffany flatware, Tiffany lamps, and Cartier watches. “People [move to Santa Fe] and their lifestyle changes,” Etre notes. “They need to know that there’s a store that can handle [selling] their luxury items.” Stephen’s also runs two not-to-be-missed annual sales, one on Mother’s Day weekend and one in October. The 9,000-square-foot Antique Warehouse (antiquewarehousesantafe.com, 505-984-1159) specializes in Mexican doors and ranch furniture, including indigenous wooden benches, tables, and smaller accessories as well as Spanish Colonial antiques. The beautiful, primarily handcrafted wooden pieces range in style from simple to elaborate, and items can be used either indoors or out. Owners Betty Kaye and Michele Graveline have been traveling to Mexico for the past 18 years to select their furniture pieces, which they then restore and refinish. For a trip further south of the border, head to House of Ancestors (houseofancestorsantiques.com, 505-490-2653), which specializes in Guatemalan imports and features items like period furniture, ceramic containers, and religious iconography. Owners James Russell Godman
A ca. 1920 wooden horse from Antigua Guatemala and an antique Peruvian door at House of Ancestors.
36
santafean.com
june/july 2013